The following is an edited excerpt.
U.S. researchers have discovered varieties of rice that appear to have increased calcium and other varieties that keep arsenic out of developing grains, findings that eventually could benefit rice farmers and consumers around the world.
Calcium is a mineral important to human bone structure and can lead to increased resistance to diseases and environmental stresses. Arsenic is a mineral contained in grain, but if consumed in excess can be harmful to human health. “Finding factors that can keep it out of the food chain is important,” said rice geneticist Shannon Pinson, who is part of a group of researchers looking to find genes that affect how rice varieties take in or store one or more of 16 essential dietary minerals, including zinc and iron.
Read the original article in its entirety here: U.S. Researchers Search for More Nutritious Rice
